Delta Goodrem has sold millions of records since her debut album ‘Innocent Eyes’ was released to critical and commercial acclaim almost ten years ago. She followed that up with two further studio albums, 2004′s ‘Mistaken Identity’ and 2007′s ‘Delta’, and is at last now set to release her long-awaited fourth studio album, titled ‘Way Back Home’.

The first single from ‘Way Back Home’ is called ‘Sitting on Top of the World’ and premiered on radio earlier this month. It is written by Goodrem, who writes or co-writes almost all of her songs, and preaches a positive outlook on life as well as encouraging others to feel the same.

This positivity marks a return to form for the 27-year old Australian singer, who hasn’t released a new album in five years as she focused on touring, trying to crack the U.S. market, and enduring high-profile breakups with musicians Brian McFadden and Joe Jonas.

However, 2012 has been a very successful one for Goodrem so far. She has joined the judging panel on Australia’s version of the music talent show ‘The Voice’, she just had a waxwork of herself unveiled at Sydney’s Madame Tussauds, and now has a new album ready for her fans.

Confirmed as being titled ‘Way Back Home’ by Goodrem on her official Facebook page, the album will be released in August and has been said to include songs titled, ’Toward the Shore’, ‘Without You’, ‘Way Back Home’, ‘Desperate’, ‘Goodbye to You’ and ‘Beautiful Tragedy’. A deluxe edition has also been announced, while there are rumours of a duet between Goodrem and fellow ‘The Voice’ panelist Keith Urban on the album.

On the set of her music video for ‘Sitting on Top of the World’, Goodrem revealed that she has already started making plans for her next tour, the follow-up to 2009′s ‘Believe Again Tour’. Dates and venues have yet to be announced, however fans can expect Goodrem to continue making appearances in smaller venues like she did on her last tour because of her preference for intimate settings where she can interact with people more closely.

Always one to go full-force into the promotional circuit, Goodrem has several instore appearances coming up over the next week, with appearances scheduled in Melbourne, Newcastle, Sydney, and Brisbane.

Most importantly, though, is her performance at this Sunday’s Logie Awards where she will perform ‘Sitting on Top of the World’ live for the first time. Goodrem previously performed a medley of her hits at the Logies in 2003, where she also won the Silver Logie for Most Popular New Talent for her breakout role as Nina Tucker in Australian soap opera ‘Neighbours’.

As for the chart performance of ‘Way Back Home’ and ‘Sitting on Top of the World’, there will be a lot of industry on scrutiny on Goodrem to see whether she can maintain her running streak of number one albums and number one lead singles, a feat she has maintained since her ‘Innocent Eyes’ debut.

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Ilan Grapel, 27, was arrested in Cairo during a protest rally on June 12 and accused of being a spy. He was put in an Egyptian jail for over four months, but was let out on Thursday in exchange for the release of 25 Egyptians that were locked up in Israel. The released prisoners were mostly smugglers and included two minors.

Before his return to the United States, Grapel met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who gave him a burger, fries, and red wine, and was debriefed by security officials. The Emory University law student was greeted by family and friends upon his arrival in New York City on Saturday.

Grapel’s flight was delayed due to a mechanical problem and would have been cancelled if the Delta flight crew had not volunteered to work overtime, so he could make it home. Grapel holds both U.S. and Israeli citizenship and was in Egypt with a volunteer group who helps Sudanese refugees.

He speaks Hebrew and Arabic and had at one time served in Israel’s military.  Grapel claims he is not a spy, which Israel has also confirmed. United States Representative Gary Ackerman, with whom Grapel once interned, lobbied to have him released. Because Grapel had been cut off for over four months, Ackerman played a prank on him and told him the Mets had won the World Series.

Grapel thanked the U.S. and Israeli officials who fought to have him set free. He said that the Egyptians treated and fed him well in prison and allowed his mother a visit, though he was kept in solitary confinement. He stated, “”It was a tough ordeal as I was isolated, but the guards were okay.

What I wanted to eat, they gave me, including fresh fish.” Grapel’s father, however, did not share his son’s forgiving attitude and claimed he would sue them. Grapel stated, in regard to the months of Egyptian interrogations, “It’s hard for me to describe. It was overwhelming.” His mother helped him to stay calm and not lose hope during his ordeal.

After Grapel was released from prison, he was happily reunited with his mother at Ben-Gurion Airport in Israel and was then reunited with his emotional father in New York. During an airport news conference, Grapel spoke of his fondness for pancakes.

He declared, “What I have not had are chocolate chip pancakes from IHOP!” He also expressed his only disappointment during his flight home was the fact that his flight attendant was married.

Image Courtesy of   http://www.flickr.com/photos/usembassyta/

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Sustainable housing in Melbourne has taken two steps forward, with the Victorian Premier Ted Bailleu launching an alliance between architectural service Archicentre and the Robin Boyd Foundation, a charity organisation focusing on the benefits of design.

Architecture firm Grocon also announced the plans for a new apartment building, known as Delta, which will be carbon neutral and made from timber present in the current building site.

When announcing the alliance Mr Baillieu expanded on the positive affects of sustainable housing, including energy savings with buildings remaining cooler in summer and warmer in winter without electrical devices.

“Trained architects use passive solar design to combine materials, methods, building form and the sun’s natural energy to provide year-round comfort in a house.

“Many Victorians may not be aware that a passive solar home can save them thousands of dollars and add extra value to the home when it is sold,” Mr Baillieu said.

Grocon’s development of the Delta building also placed a great emphasis on the future of sustainable building in Australia as having the potential to reduce energy and heating costs.

Currently the greenest building in Australia is Pixel, also made by Grocon, which has received a perfect score of 105 from the Green Building Council of Australia.

Grocon’s General Manager at the Carlton Brewery site, which will be the site of the Delta building, David Waldren said the company was keen to continue going further towards sustainable housing in the development and construction industries.

“With the Federal Government’s announcement that there will be a carbon price from July 1, 2012, we must all be ready for a new way of living and working. The carbon-constrained economy is upon us.

“More importantly, we must commit ourselves to ensuring less carbon is emitted into the global atmosphere to preserve the environment for generations to come,” stated Mr Waldren.

When Premier Baillieu announced the sustainable housing alliance, he expressed his commitment to promoting sustainable energy for cost-benefit reasons

“The Coalition Government is committed to reducing living costs wherever possible – for example by introducing a year-round 17.5 per cent electricity discount for concession card holders – and we are keen to promote passive solar designs and other
ways to reduce costs by improving the design of new or renovated houses,” said Mr Baillieu.

Mr Waldren has stressed the potential for comfort and quality in the designs of buildings such as Delta, which is planned to be ten stories high with 50 apartments.

“Buildings like Delta will bring a new standard of comfort and quality to Australian residential settings,” Mr Waldren said.

“We believe homeowners should have the opportunity to take advantage of technology available around the world and achieve the most sustainable home possible.”

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